Hey everyone, just wanted to piece together a quick little review/rundown of the Milan players who left for international duty and where things stand on that front. After taking about a week off from here, we’re ready to tackle this stretch run of the season with you all, and are looking forward to a fun last couple of months.
As to the rundown below, I’m not going to pretend like I watched every game so I’m relying on FotMob’s review and ratings. I know, I wish I could give a more personal rundown but let’s all be appreciative that I did a little research and piled everything into one place for you all…geez…LOL
Let’s dive in!
Euro 2024 Qualifiers
Italy
Sandro Tonali – Tonali logged 88 minutes over both games with one start. He didn’t net any goals but had 2 assists vs Malta. FotMob rating for both games were 5.9 vs England and 8.6 vs Malta. Overall, a solid qualifying round performance
France
Mike Maignan – Magic Mike started both games for France and didn’t give up a goal, giving outstanding performances for both games (got an 8.2 from FotMob for both games). Oh, and he had a poster-worthy save…
Olivier Giroud – The Frenchman logged about 78 minutes over both games and didn’t score and didn’t assist in either game. He had FotMob ratings of 6.2 and 6.9 and seemed to have respectable performances
Theo Hernández – Like Maignan, Theo played all 90 minutes in both games and had FotMob ratings of 7.4 and 7.8, indicating solid performances and a continuation of his good run of form
Portugal
Rafael Leão – Two substitute appearances for Leão, logging just 38 minutes. However, he played well in both games and particularly in his second appearance, scoring and assisting on goals in just 15 minutes (this, despite missing a penalty). He had FotMob scores of 7.0 and 8.2, respectively, and really thrived by staying wide on the left, particularly in that second game
Belgium
Charles De Ketelaere – CDK played just 22 minutes, appearing in one of the two games. No goals or assists and had a rating of 6.2 from FotMob. So it sounds like more of the same for our €35M man
Alexis Saelemaekers – Salad Man got 49 minutes in, with 45 coming in the second game vs Germany. FotMob seems to think he played well, giving him a 6.8 for that performance
Sweden
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Zlatan came on in a 0-3 loss to Belgium and earned a 6.2 from FotMob for his efforts. He didn’t score or assist but perhaps more concerning is that he left the national team and returned to Milan early after sustaining an injury. It doesn’t sound too serious, as he was set to do an individual training routine today, but still. Any injury at 41yrs old is concerning
Denmark
Simon Kjær – The wily vet started and played all 90 minutes in both of Denmark games and even assisted in the second match. With FotMob ratings of 7.4 and 6.7, all indications are that Kjær had a solid international break
Bosnia
Rade Krunic – King Krunic started and played all 90mins in both games and once again showed his workman-like knack for finding the back of the net, scoring a brace in the first match vs Iceland. I personally am not ready to see him in a more advanced role for Milan but it’s nice to know he can occasionally fill this role if needed (I’m not quite on the Krunic train like Lisi, but I’m perhaps inquiring about purchasing a fare…)
Germany
Malick Thiaw – The kid got the call up to the NT but didn’t end up featuring in either match. Stay patient young one, your time will come…
CONCACAF Nations League
United States
Sergiño Dest – I didn’t watch either Team USA game and all I can see online is that Dest played 90 minutes in the second game (and none in the first). Strangely, I couldn’t find any ratings for him across any of the usual footballing sites, so if anyone has any context and wants to share, please do so below in the comment section
AFCON 2023
Algeria
Ismaël Bennacer – Algeria played Niger for both games of their AFCON group games and Bennacer started both games, logging 90 and 64 minutes respectively. FotMob had him rated at 8.0 and 7.6 so it sure sounded like he was a solid piece of both of their wins
Friendlies
France U21
Pierre Kalulu – This is the one that makes me really dislike all the international competitions, ESPECIALLY friendlies. Kalulu didn’t play in the first game but then got injured in training before the second game and ended up leaving to go back to Milan early. All signs are pointing to something not too serious at the moment, but Napoli and Kvaratskhelia await Milan and their right side this weekend…F#&K!
Belgium U21
Aster Vranckx – Vranckx started and captained both of Belgium U21’s games, playing 90 and 45 minutes. No goals, assists, or cards but otherwise appears to have played well in both matches
Columbia
Devis Vásquez – DNP
Final Thoughts
Alright, nothing super fancy but wanted to get going again in preparation of this weekend’s return to league action. All in all, players who were playing well, played well, and Milan mostly dodged any major injuries. But man…that Kalulu one…he better not miss more than this upcoming Napoli game.
Lisi will be back with a beefed-up Weekend Whip-Around this Friday, talking about the rest of the season as well as Round 28’s matchups. So until then, Forza Milan!
gillis